Ethical Statements and Guidelines

The following professional associations have published ethical standards or guidelines for telemental health, telepsychiatry, online therapy, online counseling, or telepsychology.

Please let us know if you've seen any other ethical standards or guidelines by sending information about them or their link. Thank you for being part of our community!

•1998 American Psychiatric Association
–Telepsychiatry via Teleconferencing

•1999 (2005) American Counseling Association
–Ethical Standards for Internet On-Line Counseling

•2000 American Mental Health Counselors Association
–Code of Ethics of AMHCA, Principle 14, Internet On-Line Counseling

•2000 American Medical Association
–Guidelines for Patient-Physician Electronic Mail

•2001 National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
–Center for Credentialing and EducationThe Practice of Internet Counseling

•2001 Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA)
–Telepsychiatry Guidelines and Procedures for Clinical Activities

•2004 (2011) Australian Psychological Society
–Guidelines for providing psychological services and products on the internet

•2006 National Association of Social Workers & Association of Social Work Boards
–Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice

•2008 (2010) Ohio Psychological Association
–Telepsychology Guidelines

•2009 Canadian Psychological Association
–Ethical Guidelines for Psychologists Providing Psychological Services Via Electronic Media

•2009 American Telemedicine Association
–Evidence-based Practice for Telemental Health
–Practice Guidelines for Videoconferencing Based Telemental Health
–New “Desktop and Mobile Telemental Health Workgroup” (2011)

American Psychological Association Ethics

Many professional mental health associations have an ethics code that requires training before entering into a new area of practice. Just recently, associations such as the American Psychological Association have modified their requirements to include a mandate for specialist training when using new technologies as well. Please see this excerpt from the American Psychological Association code of ethics as published in 2002.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT (2002) 

 2. Competence

 2.01 Boundaries of Competence
(a) Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience.

(b) Where scientific or professional knowledge in the discipline of psychology establishes that an understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or research, psychologists have or obtain the training, experience, consultation, or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make appropriate referrals, except as provided in Standard 2.02, Providing Services in Emergencies.

(c) Psychologists planning to provide services, teach, or conduct research involving populations, areas, techniques, or technologies new to them undertake relevant education, training, supervised experience, consultation, or study.

(d) When psychologists are asked to provide services to individuals for whom appropriate mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained the competence necessary, psychologists with closely related prior training or experience may provide such services in order to ensure that services are not denied if they make a reasonable effort to obtain the competence required by using relevant research, training, consultation, or study.

(e) In those emerging areas in which generally recognized standards for preparatory training do not yet exist, psychologists nevertheless take reasonable steps to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients/patients, students, supervisees, research participants, organizational clients, and others from harm.

(f) When assuming forensic roles, psychologists are or become reasonably familiar with the judicial or administrative rules governing their roles.

2.02 Providing Services in Emergencies
In emergencies, when psychologists provide services to individuals for whom other mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained the necessary training, psychologists may provide such services in order to ensure that services are not denied. The services are discontinued as soon as the emergency has ended or appropriate services are available.

2.03 Maintaining Competence
Psychologists undertake ongoing efforts to develop and maintain their competence.

The entire American Psychological Association's (APA's) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct is available here.